


Threads of Fate

by artitech



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Art Teachers, Baristas, Bartenders, Bookstores, College, Dance Coach, Doctor - Freeform, F/M, Gen, High School Teachers, Journalists, M/M, Mild Angst, Modern Era, No Beta we die like Kings, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Piercings, RAREPAIR HEAVEN, Rating May Change, Store Owners, Tattoos, Warnings May Change, english teacher, grad school, photographers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:08:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24702055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artitech/pseuds/artitech
Summary: All your favs in one place. Tags intended to avoid spoilers but I might have slipped up.No pre-decided plot, making this up as I go.ABANDONED
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Ennoshita Chikara/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei, Hinata Shouyou/Kozume Kenma, Kageyama Tobio/Tsukishima Kei, Kindaichi Yuutarou/Kunimi Akira, Kuroo Tetsurou/Sawamura Daichi, Miya Atsumu/Sakusa Kiyoomi, Nishinoya Yuu/Yaku Morisuke, Oikawa Tooru/Sugawara Koushi, Shimizu Kiyoko/Miya Osamu, Terushima Yuuji/Yamaguchi Tadashi, Yachi Hitoka/Iwaizumi Hajime
Comments: 4
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> I'm several chapters into writing this fic already, but haven't really established any plot. I'm hoping to update more than once per month, but I can promise at least once!
> 
> I'll also periodically be posting one-shots and two-shots of various pairings (or non-pairings) as I upload this work. Keep an eye out for those!

The door to the tattoo parlor swung open on Friday afternoon. Bokuto, who was cleaning a piercing clamp, greeted the customer and asked them to take a seat. He put down the clamp and looked up.

“Akaashi!” he exclaimed. His face split into a grin. Terushima, who was writing something nearby, chuckled under his breath.

Akaashi bowed slightly. “Good afternoon, Bokuto-san. You told me you had no appointments today?” Bokuto nodded and he and Akaashi went behind the curtain.

Akaashi pulled off his shirt and lay face down onto the tattoo chair. Bokuto quietly admired Akaashi’s back muscles. “I think I should be able to finish the colour on the right wing before closing today. We should set up your next appointment now, though, since you might pass out like last time. When works for you?” he asked. Akaashi hummed. It had been a few weeks since Bokuto started working on the pair of folded owl wings that Akaashi had asked for. The line work hadn’t taken long, but the colour had to go little by little.

They decided to continue work in a week. Akaashi relaxed into the seat while Bokuto prepared his tattoo gun with ink. He hissed as Bokuto started. The needles weren’t always painful, but his back was well-defined, and Bokuto wasn’t always one to be gentle. He clenched his eyes closed and heard a pair of loud boots. Someone rustled the curtain, and Akaashi glanced over.

“Yaku-san, good afternoon,” he mumbled, cheek pressed to leather. Yaku nodded at him.

Bokuto stopped for a moment. “Yakkun, grab Akaashi something to drink, yeah? I’d rather him knock out sooner than later.” Yaku laughed and stomped back out of the curtain. Akaashi breathed deeply, trying to bear the needles. “Stay still,” pleaded Bokuto.

“Sorry, Bokuto-san.” Yaku returned with a fruity drink with a straw. “Thank you, Yaku-san.” Akaashi sipped on the drink and let the warmth of the alcohol wash over him. The pain was still intense, but at least he had a bit of a distraction. 

Bokuto hummed quietly as he worked. He had chosen an array of golds and teals for this wing, and was working with a deep, shiny gold. Akaashi was his favourite customer for many reasons, one of which was that he trusted Bokuto’s work. He’d asked for the wings, but let Bokuto make all other decisions past that. As both a tattooer and a tattoo artist, Bokuto had no trouble transferring his vision for his tattoos from paper to skin, but some people wanted specific things. Akaashi always let Bokuto do as he liked, and some of his favourite works were on the man’s skin as a result. His absolute favourite, a paintbrush dipped in a rainbow of colour followed by a streak of gold and silver, decorated the base of Akaashi’s abdomen. It was a tattoo few would ever see, and Bokuto felt special being privy to such a secret.

It didn’t take long for Akaashi to faint. He’d given prior permission for Bokuto to keep going, and wouldn’t wake up unaware (this was known from experience), so Bokuto didn’t worry and continued to work. A few hours later, he finished his work, and soon after that, Akaashi woke up. Akaashi spoke about his day teaching while Bokuto disposed of the needles, and they both drank a bit while Yaku closed up shop.

“I’m driving home, do you guys want to be dropped off?” called Terushima from the front. Akaashi called back affirmative, as he was rather drunk, and Bokuto agreed. They piled into the car, Bokuto in the front seat and Akaashi in the back, and Terushima turned on the radio. Quiet lo-fi seeped from the speakers, and the warm spring wind ruffled everyone’s hair. It was a nearly silent ride.

Akaashi was dropped off first, leaving Bokuto and Terushima alone in the car. “You’re hopeless.”

Bokuto’s drooping eyelids snapped open. “Excuse me?”

“You’re really never gonna tell him?” pestered Terushima.

“As if you’re some kind of relationship expert! How many years has it been, 3? 4?”

“So rude, Bo.” Terushima’s own relationships were nothing to speak about. “You should tell him.” Bokuto huffed, crossed his arms, and turned away. “I’m only saying, you’ll regret it if someone else scoops him up first. I might just do it myself, I mean, have you seen his abs…”

“You wouldn’t!” Bokuto exclaimed, twisting around to glare. Terushima laughed.

“I’m only kidding with you. But you know I’m right.”

Bokuto swallowed loudly. “I’ll… do it when I finish the wings. That shouldn’t be much longer. Just a few weeks.”

“You’d better.”

~~

Daichi was usually a late sleeper. So when he awoke to a sharp knocking on his bedroom door, he was startled to see the early morning sun still outside his window. “Oi, Daichi, wake up!” Iwaizumi called from outside the door. “I’m driving Hitoka to work and you’re coming with me.”

Daichi groaned, rolled over, and shoved his face back into his pillow. The door handle twisted, and Iwaizumi stepped inside. He pulled the comforter off of Daichi and pulled him out of the bed. Dachi grumbled and sat up, glaring, but walked over to his dresser to get ready.

Outside, Iwaizumi started his car and turned on the AC. The night had been strangely warm, and the morning sun didn’t help. Daichi stumbled outside looking nothing like himself. His hair was askew, and he had his glasses on instead on his contacts.

“Well hello, then, sleepyhead,” said Iwaizumi. Daichi grumbled and slid into the backseat. Iwaizumi kindly kept the radio off and let Daichi sleep until they reached Yachi’s apartment.

Yachi slid into the passenger seat and planted a kiss on Iwaizumi’s cheek. “Good morning, Hajime. Happy Saturday,” she said with a smile. She turned to the backseat. “Good morning Sawamura-san! You’re looking very awake!” Daichi nodded and blinked sleepily. Yachi chattered happily about her week the rest of the way to the café. Upon reaching the building, they parked and went inside. The bell above the door jingled as it swung open.

Yachi slipped behind the counter to get ready and greeted one of her shift-mates, Yamaguchi. Iwaizumi and Dachi took a seat at the counter.

The door swung open again and a man walked in yawning loudly. He spotted Iwaizumi and Daichi and grinned, slipping into a seat next to them.

“Good morning Iwa-chan!” he exclaimed. Iwaizumi turned to him.

“Good morning, Lazykawa.” Oikawa and Iwaizumi had been longtime friends, but grew a bit apart after high school. After college, however, they’d gotten close again, despite Oikawa’s long hours working at the doctor’s office. They often frequented the café together, which was how Yachi and Iwaizumi had met. Oikawa pouted.

“Mean Iwa-chan. Hi Dad-chan. You look dead,” said Oikawa, ducking to avoid being smacked by Iwaizumi. Daichi threw him a weak glare and went back to falling asleep into his hands.

After a time, Yachi returned with a menu a set it down in front of Daichi. She took Iwaizumi and Oikawa’s orders and made her way back to the kitchen. As she stepped in, her other shift-mate, Kuroo, stepped out. It was his turn to man the latte machine, and he poured perfect leaves out of steamed milk into each mug. He brought them over to Iwaizumi and Oikawa with a greeting and glanced over to the now-alert Daichi.

“Good morning,” greeted Kuroo. Daichi looked up at him and Kuroo felt his soul leave his body.

“Morning,” Daichi squinted at Kuroo’s name tag, “Kuroo-san.” Kuroo felt his face warm and he cleared his throat, turning to Oikawa.

“Anything else, Oikawa-sensei?” he asked. Oikawa grinned.

“Oho, Kuro-chan. Is this what I think it is?” he asked. Kuroo huffed.  
“I guess you don’t want anything else then,” he said. He turned back to Daichi. “What can I get you?”

“Oh, um, just some green tea and a lemon cookie would be lovely, Kuroo-san.”

Kuroo nodded pointedly and disappeared back into the kitchen. “Hey, Yacchan, who’s the cutie?” Yachi laughed.

“You mean Sawamura-san? He’s Hajime’s coworker at the bar. They’re also roommates,” she added. Kuroo sighed. “He’s a nice guy… he’d probably like you if he was more awake. I’ll make Hajime bring him in the afternoon sometime, okay?” Kuroo nodded and smiled.

“You’re the best, Yacchan. I’ll cover your second shift today, okay?” he said. Yachi smiled and handed him a cookie.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet some new characters, reveal some new drama, and someone just maybe develops a crush...

Akaashi checked his phone and looked up. He was the first of the group to reach their meeting place in the park that week, but he was only a few minutes early. The noon sun beat down hard, and Akaashi wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead. He looked around for a spot of shade but found none. He was about to sit down when Hinata came racing down the trail followed very closely by Kageyama. Hinata jumped up at Akaashi and landed in his arms.

“Akaashi-san!” he yelled. Kageyama skidded to a stop in front of them, and Akaashi set Hinata down.

“Hi, Hinata, Kageyama. Why so excited? It’s only been a week,” said Akaashi. “Did you bring your study materials this time?” Usually, when the high-school teachers and the grad-school students met up, the teachers would work on lesson plans and grading and the students would work on homework or study, but oftentimes, Hinata and Kageyama would forget to bring their work. This time, though, both of them turned to display that they had brought their bags.

“Oh fantastic! Atsumu-san said he won’t be able to make it today, he has some modeling thing he has to attend.” 

Tsukishima, who had just rounded the corner, scoffed. “Of course he does. Will Asahi-sensei be here?” Akaashi nodded.

Hinata sat down and started to unpack his bag. “Kenma said he’s going to be a little bit late.”

Asahi and Osamu came around the corner a few minutes later, and everyone paired off. Hinata and Akaashi opened their computers and started working together on collecting paintings for a portfolio of one of Akaashi’s students. They worked for a bit in silence, but Hinata being Hinata, it didn’t stay for long.

“Hey, Akaashi-san,” he started. Akaashi stopped typing and looked at him. “How’s the newest tattoo looking? You didn’t show me last week.”

Akaashi chuckled and turned is back toward Hinata, pulling up the back of his shirt. “That’s because it looked unfinished last week. Bokuto-san only finished the colour on this side yesterday.”

“Waaaa…” Hinata ran his fingertips over the slightly irritated skin that covered the right side of Akaashi. “It’s so beautiful…” Akaashi let his shirt drop and turned back around.

“It is, isn’t it? Even I couldn’t design something so wonderful,” he said with a smile. Akaashi took pride in his work, he had some of his art in museums, but something about Bokuto’s talent for design seemed to surpass even his most acclaimed pieces of art.

“Someday I’ll book an appointment with Bokuto-san, he’s got such a steady hand. But I want you to design it, Akaashi-san,” Hinata said. He turned back to his laptop. Before Akaashi could respond, Hinata yelped. “Kenma! I didn’t see you there!” Kenma had sidled up next to Hinata and had already pulled out a video game.

“So loud, Shouyou.” Kenma glanced over. “Akaashi-san.”

“Kozume-san.” Akaashi looked at Hinata. The redhead had his eyes tightened shut, but his mouth was stretched into a smile. Akaashi raised an eyebrow and looked back to Kenma. “Kozume-sa-” Kenma’s eyes seemed to pierce Akaashi’s soul. “N-nevermind.”

Across the picnic blanket, Kageyama was laying down on Tsukishima’s lap. Osamu, who was sitting nearby, was editing Kageyama’s latest essay, while Kageyama studied for an upcoming vocabulary test.

“Miya-sensei, what’s ‘alacrity’ mean?” asked Kageyama. 

Osamu looked up. He pursed his lips. “Like Hinata when he’s excited,” he said. Kageyama nodded and jotted something down in his notebook. 

“Kei, can you move your head to block the sun?” murmured Kageyama. Tsukishima sighed and moved his head.

“Better, your Highness?” he asked. Kageyama nodded, grabbed Tsukki’s hand, and kissed it gently. “Gweh!” exclaimed Tsukki, pulling his hand away and blushing. “So affectionate in public.” Kageyama wrinkled his nose at him.

A shout echoed through the tree corridor. “There! Come, Yahaba-san! It’s right over there!” A woman with a shoulder bag holding a notebook and a man with a camera slung about his neck raced around the corner and through the corridor.

“I’m gonna get a sighting of this goddamn butterfly if it kills me!” she shouted again.

The picnic group looked up.

“Shimizu?”

Kiyoko was on the mission of a lifetime. A rare, new butterfly had been spotted at the Bronze Arch Park (named for its corridor of golden-brown trees) and Kiyoko was going to be the first to write an article on it. She spotted it and went running after it with Yahaba, but skidded to a stop when she heard her name.

“Osamu?” They hadn’t talked in a few weeks. She swallowed around the words that threatened to bubble up from her throat and turned away, chasing after Yahaba. She wasn’t going to have that conversation now.

The group on the picnic blanket had fallen quiet. Asahi broke the awkward silence. “Miya, I thought you Kiyoko-san were dating?” Osamu sighed loudly.

“We were.”

The silence fell again.

Osamu later found himself standing alone in his apartment. It was too empty. The closet was far too bare, as was the bathroom sink.

“Fuck,” he said, crouching and pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes, determined not to cry. With his eyes closed, he could see how colourful it had been just a couple of weeks ago. All sorts of hair products he didn’t understand had lined the shower, more than half of the closet had been filled with long, flowing dresses and smart suits, the living room table had been adorned with dozens of scented candles…

He opened his eyes, and the colourful overlay of the memories faded.

“Fuck!”

~~   
Sakusa had signed up for the online live-drawing session on a whim. He was already a skilled tattoo artist (he had Bokuto’s approval, after all), and was quite good at drawing people. Perhaps it was only boredom that had drawn him in, but perhaps it was instead something else.

He’d set up his computer long before the session started, and pulled out his supplies in the meantime. Three pads of paper of different weights, three perfectly sharpened charcoal pencils, one felt tip pen, and one pencil. His space was cramped, yes, but that’s what came with owning a home in the city; his studio space had to be small to accommodate the other rooms in the household. The computer dinged as the live-drawing began.

The first two models were nude women, and Sakusa had no trouble transferring the soft lines of their bodies to the pages he worked on. He blended his charcoal with ease, leaving no smears on the paper or his fingers.

The third model was a new challenge. A man cloaked in a robe that only subtly betrayed his form underneath. Charcoal was yet again the best medium, as the ability to blend allowed for those subtleties to come through without being overwhelming.

The fourth and final model, however, was something else entirely.

Sakusa was instantly intrigued by the man who had chosen to model nude. He appeared to be slightly shorter than Sakusa himself, but was a bit more built. He seemed to know what he was doing with posing, more so than the other models had, as if he himself had done live-drawing before and knew what would interest the artists the most. Sakusa filled up several pages of his paper with drawings of the man, mainly using his pen to detail the sharp lines and contours of the mans body. Eventually, though he found himself doing an full page drawing of the man’s face. He used pencil to trace the slope of the man’s eyes and the messy fluff of his hair, and spent minutes upon minutes trying to perfect the shine of his pupils.

The session ended with a message to send your work to the moderator, but Sakusa knew he was going to keep this one to himself.

In the evening, he brought his sketchbooks with him to the tattoo parlour to continue working. Not many customers came in that night, so he and Yaku were free to chat as they both came up with designs. A few minutes after closing, Sakusa went to the bathroom, and when he came back, his sketchbook and Yaku were gone, but Yaku’s sketchbook remained. He groaned and shot a text to Yaku before going home to go to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to update bi-weekly or more, but chapters can only come as fast as I can write them. Comments feed my muse!
> 
> Also, feel free, if you wish, to check out my SugaHina fic [Sunshine](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24058387)!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some cute content!

Tanaka Saeko loved her job every day of the week except for Saturday. On Saturdays, her boss’s girlfriend came in (which was fine), but so did a very troublesome group of people.

Yachi helped set up just a few minutes before the bar opened. “Yacchan!” exclaimed Saeko as she walked through the door. She pulled Yachi into a hug, smothering her slightly.

“Good evening, Tanaka,” Yachi replied. The door opened again.

“Hey, Ko-chan!” came a chipper voice from the doorway.

Saeko sighed. “Shaddup, Oikawa. Go home.”

He was flanked by Hanamaki and Matsukawa, who were equally as troublesome, but in her good books due to them working at her favourite clothing store. They both smiled at her, Matsukawa’s slightly less bright.

Iwaizumi, who was cleaning the counter, looked up. “Did you not have work today, Shittykawa?”

“Mean, Iwa-chan. Gimme a drink,” said Oikawa, sliding into a seat at the bar. Iwaizumi shook his head but started preparing Oikawa’s favourite drink.

“What can I get you two? Uh, three?” Saeko asked. A third man was standing behind Makki and Mattsun.

“Hi! My name’s Kuroo. And just a beer for me please.” Saeko mused that he was rather polite and began pouring a beer as Makki and Mattsun announced their orders.

Kuroo had finally taken Oikawa up on his offer to join their group on their weekly bar trip. He told himself that it was simply to have more time with his friends, but the truth lingered in the back of his mind.

“Sawamura-san works there, y’know,” Oikawa had told him after the previous week’s café visit. How was Kuroo supposed to refuse? Yachi had made her promise, but why pass up an opportunity to flirt, especially with the help of liquid confidence…

The bar filled quickly over the next few hours. Kuroo found himself quite tipsy by the time the bartenders changed shift.

“Your cheeks are so red, Kuro-chan,” Oikawa said with a hand pressed to Kuroo’s cheek.

“Mm, I wonder why,” Kuroo replied. Oikawa leaned forward and kissed him. Kuroo giggled and pulled Oikawa closer, tasting the alcohol on his tongue. Kissing Oikawa was always fun, but more fun often followed. The ghost of Oikawa’s fingertips pressed against Kuroo’s waistband.

“Please don’t fuck on the bar,” came a voice. Kuroo blinked and looked up. Daichi was standing behind the bar with his hands on his hips. Kuroo sighed dreamily as he took in the sight of Sawamura dressed in an black shirt unbuttoned to the clavicle with hair styled in a messy wave. Oikawa shot Kuroo a smirk and headed off into the crowd.

“I never thought Oikawa would settle down.”

“Oh, no, we’re not… It’s not…” Kuroo stumbled. “It’s more for fun than anything else. Anyways, you look nice tonight.” He grinned.

Daichi leveled a glare across the bar. “I’m not looking for anything so shallow like that, Kuroo-san.”

Kuroo pleaded, “No, no, I-” but Daichi had already moved down the bar to talk to someone else.

Kuroo pouted and wandered off through the crowd to go drag Oikawa somewhere more private. Upon finding him, he pushed Oikawa up against a wall and kissed him, teeth biting and angry.

“Not that I’m not enjoying this,” Oikawa said when given the chance to breathe, “But it must have a cause. Did I happen ruin things between you and Daichan?” Kuroo hissed and pulled Oikawa’s head to the side, biting hard into his neck. Oikawa yelped and squeezed Kuroo’s shoulders before laughing.

“Shut up.”

“Poor Kuro-chan. Guess you’ll have to come again next week.” Kuroo glared at him and pulled him out the door and into an alleyway nearby.

~~

When Kuroo didn’t come home in the evening, Kenma felt his mood sink. If Kuroo wasn’t sleeping at home, then he was either passed out on Tanaka and Noya’s couch or staying up until an ungodly hour fucking Oikawa. There was no point in trying to call him. Whichever situation he was in, he definitely wasn’t going to pick up the phone. Instead, Kenma called Hinata.

Hinata picked up the phone immediately. “Kenma? What are you doing still up? It’s almost 3AM!”   
“I could ask the same of you, Shouyou. Come over?”

“I’ll be there in five minutes. Don’t do anything stupid.” The phone clicked and Kenma pulled his blanket further around him. He shuffled from his bedroom to the kitchen, passing a mirror on the way. His hair was disheveled and he looked like he hadn’t slept in months. In the kitchen, he poured himself a glass of cold tea.

Just as he was making his way to the living room, the front door swung open. The ice in Kenma’s glass clinked as he placed it down. In the doorframe stood Hinata, bright red, panting, and holding a bag. His face was painted with a smile.

Holding up the bag, Hinata said, “I brought you apple pie, thought it might help.” Kenma ushered him inside and smiled to himself as he turned away. He poured another mug of tea for Hinata.

Together, they curled up on the couch. Kenma munched quietly on the apple pie while Hinata talked. Kenma listened and watched. Something was enamouring him. The sweat on Hinata’s skin had dried, leaving shiny patches on his forehead and cheeks. The low light of the living room reflected golden off of his eyes, and Kenma couldn’t tear his gaze away.

“... next week. What do you think?” Kenma heard.

“Hmm?”   
“I said that since finals are over, I was thinking of going to get my first tattoo next week! Akaashi-san finished designing it for me this afternoon. Or I guess last afternoon. Let me show you,” said Hinata, pulling out his phone to scroll through his photos. Kenma hummed. He’d been considering getting another piercing… maybe they could go together?

Hinata turned his phone around. Pictured was a  [ crow ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5b/58/60/5b5860cffd5b224fe8533d67d034e60d.jpg) in mid flight towards the viewer with feathers flying off of its wings. “Oh, that’s gorgeous,” Kenma whispered. “Say, what would you think about-”

“You coming with me? And you can finally get your bridge pierced! Yes, yes!” Hinata exclaimed. Kenma let a smile slip from his lips at Hinata’s excitement. They chose a time, and determined that Hinata would set up appointments for both of them the next morning.

An hour later, they finished their tea, and Hinata encouraged Kenma to go to bed. He trailed after Kenma into the bedroom and slid into the bed next to him. 

“Goodnight, Kenma.”

“Goodnight, Shouyou.”

Kenma cuddled up facing Hinata, who curled around him, and they fell asleep.

Morning broke with the sun’s rays and a shout. Kenma squeezed his eyes shut in irritation. Kuroo was home and ready to be as loud as ever.

The bedroom door slammed open. “Hey, Kenma! Oh! Hi, Chibi-chan!” Kuroo said.

“Good morning, Kuroo-san!”

“Get out, Kuro.” Kenma threw his pillow full force at Kuroo, who stepped back, tripped, and fell down. Kenma smiled proudly. Kuroo sat up, rubbing his head.

“I was gonna make you guys breakfast, but I guess not,” he said. Hinata turned to Kenma, full puppy-eyes. How was he supposed to resist…

“Geez, sorry, sorry Kuro.”   
“Alright, you’ve earned your pastries, which is good because I already made them.” He reached outside the doorframe and produced a tray with several plates of treats and three glasses of chocolate milk. He placed the tray on the bed and then took a seat. Both he and Hinata immediately dug into the various pastries, while Kenma more hesitantly picked up a muffin.

As he unwrapped it, he turned to Hinata. “Hey, weren’t you going to-”

“Making our appointments! Right!” Hinata said, swallowing. He pulled out his phone and called the tattoo parlour.

_ “Hello, Terushima Yuuji speaking, how can I help you?” _

“Hello! My name is Hinata Shouyou. I’d like to book an appointment for my friend and me.”

_ “Of course, what services are you looking for?” _

“I’m getting a tattoo and he’s getting a piercing.”

_ “And would you like those to be at the same time?” _ _   
_ “Yes please!”

_ “Do you have any preferences for who you’d like?” _

“Would Bokuto-san be available?”

_ “Alright, sure, I can book you for Saturday around noon.” _

“Thank you so much!”

_ “Thank you!” _

Hinata hung up the phone and turned to Kenma. “Saturday at noon. We’ll miss our weekly stuff.” He pouted and then shrugged.

“It’s not like you’ll be studying for anything… we can see them the week after,” Kenma said. The trio finished breakfast in near silence, and then Hinata was off.

“You should really stop staying out so much,” Kenma said after Hinata left.

Kuroo paused cleaning up. “Hmm?”   
“Something’s gonna happen to you one of these days. I don’t like it.”

“Don’t worry about me, Kenma. I can take care of myself.”

“Can you, though?” Kenma said below his breath. He turned to Kuroo. “Just, be careful, okay? I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Kuroo frowned and pulled Kenma into a hug.

“I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you'd like, check out my newest SugaHina fic [Lemonade](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24894352).   
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

Akaashi was finally at his final appointment to finish the colour on his wings. It was yet another warm Friday afternoon, and he was well prepared to finally be done with the masterpiece painted across his back. Only, there was a bit of a problem.

Bokuto was  _ nervous. _

Bokuto was never ever nervous.

“Bokuto-san, you’ve always done everything perfectly, I’m sure you won’t mess up,” assured Akaashi, but it didn’t seem to help. 

Terushima swung open the curtain and laughed at Bokuto’s visibly trembling form. “He’s not nervous because of the tattoo, he’s nervous because he’s going t-” Bokuto cut him off with a swift smack to the face. It seemed to break him out of his nervous jitters, though, and he immediately dropped to the ground to apologise.

Terushima rubbed his cheek, but his cheeky grin didn’t fall. “Go, Bo! You got this!” he said, turning on his heel and heading back to the storefront.

“So, what exactly is it that you’re planning, Bokuto-san?” Akaashi asked, pulling his shirt over his head.

Bokuto waved him off and finally prepared his machine. “This shouldn’t take as long as the other sessions, okay? We only have the bottom few feathers left to do.” He coughed. Akaashi looked at him with an eyebrow raised but laid down on the chair regardless. He let his thoughts fade away as Bokuto began.

A few hours later, the buzzing stopped, and Akaashi felt himself be eased from his sedative state by Bokuto rubbing salve into his back. He hummed in content.

“Oh, wow, Bo, that looks really nice!” came Terushima’s voice from nearby. Akaashi hummed again and finally opened his eyes. Terushima walked away and Bokuto continued to rub the salve in. Akaashi felt himself start to drift again. Bokuto changed movements, and start to push the salve in more of a massaging manner, waking Akaashi up. He moved up to his shoulders and kneaded the skin there as well.

“Ough…” groaned Akaashi. The hands stopped for a moment before continuing until all of the knots in Akaashi’s shoulders were gone. Finally, Akaashi was allowed to sit up. He looked at Bokuto.

The tattooist’s cheeks were just a bit pink and his eyes were wide.

“Are… are you alright, Bokuto-san?”

“Akaashi,” Bokuto said, grabbing onto Akaashi’s hands. “I…”

“What is it, Bokuto-san?” Akaashi asked. Bokuto gulped and shook his head.

“N-nevermind do you want something to drink?” Akaashi nodded and they headed to the shopfront and get a drink. Terushima poured them each a beer and then left the store, but not without shooting Bokuto a wink.

Akaashi thought the mood seemed to relax a bit with the alcohol. They chatted for a bit until both of them were slightly intoxicated. Bokuto leaned close to Akaashi and grabbed his hands again.

“Hey, Akaashi, just call me Bokuto, okay? You know me now, we’re friends, right?”

“Oh, I suppose.” Akaashi paused and looked down at their joined hands. “Okay. Um, Bokuto.”

Bokuto took a deep breath and looked Akaashi in the eyes. “Listen, Akaashi… I’ve been, well, we’ve been working together for a really long time now, and I was wondering…” He breathed again. “Akaashi, can I take you out? On, on a date?”

Akaashi blinked.

He spluttered.

“I… you… what?”

“Akaashiiii,” moaned Bokuto, “I want to take you on a date. Please?”

“I, yes! Yes, okay!” Akaashi said, nodding frantically. He never would’ve expected Bokuto to return the crush he had. Bokuto gripped his hands tighter. His eyes shone. He pulled Akaashi into a hug.

When he pulled back, Akaashi kissed him on the cheek. “You have my phone number. Let me know when, okay?” 

Bokuto nodded, hands shaking with excitement.

~~

The next morning, Bokuto found himself back in the studio. He’d stayed up planning their date til late, and luckily not had the early morning shift to open up the shop. Checking his schedule for the day, he saw his first appointment.

He recognised the name at the top of the list, but he wasn’t sure from where. Hinata Shouyou, Hinata Shouyou.

The bell above the door dinged and in came an orange-haired man followed by a blonde.

“Hello! You must be Bokuto,” said the orange-haired man. “My name’s Hinata, and this is Kozume.” The blonde nodded at Bokuto. Bokuto nodded and gestured to the chairs. The pair sat down while Bokuto called Yaku from the back.

“Alright, Hinata-san, you can come with me.” He and Hinata made their way behind the curtain.

“So what can I do for you today?”

“Well, I had my friend Akaashi make this design for me and I wanted you to tattoo it on my arm. You know Akaashi-san, right?” Hinata showed the picture to Bokuto.

Bokuto beamed. “Yes, I know him. I can definitely do that for you. Is this your first tattoo?” Hinata shook his head, but Bokuto still went through all the protocol before letting Hinata sit down on the chair.

Across the room, behind a different curtain, Kenma and Yaku discussed piercings. Although he was only planning to get his bridge pierced, Yaku had offered to do additional piercings for a low price. While Yaku prepared the needle, Kenma looked around the room. He spotted an open sketchbook.

“What’s that?” he asked.

Yaku paused and turned around. “Oh, it’s Sakusa’s sketchbook,” he said dismissively. “I accidentally picked it up, but we haven’t had a shift together in weeks. I’ll return it to him soon though. Why?”

Kenma squinted. “I know the person in that drawing. Can I take a photo? It’s a teacher I work with… well, an associate of mine.” Yaku nodded, and Kenma pulled out his phone to snap a photo. The drawing really was well don. He could even tell that it was Atsumu rather than Osamu, just based on the angles and style.

Back behind the other curtain, Hinata and Bokuto were making good conversation while Bokuto worked. Eventually the conversation turned back to Akaashi.

“Hey Hina-chan, I asked Akaashi on a date last night.” Bokuto said.

Hinata laughed. “Finally! He always talks about you, you know. I probably wasn’t supposed to say that…” He trailed off.

“Well, you know Akaashi, right?” Bokuto paused. “Could you help me?”

“Of course! You gotta know a few things. First of all, don’t take him out to dinner because you’ll get far too overwhelmed by how good he looks in a suit. His favourite flowers are gerbera lilies and dahlias, he only likes dark chocolate, he’ll drink beer but prefers cocktails-”   
“I’ll cut you off there. More of, what sort of thing might he like to do for a first date, you know?” Bokuto said, pausing tattooing. Hinata nodded.

“Okay, okay. Well, he teaches English. He likes to read, not just because he’s an English teacher. I think it’s the other way around.” Hinata took a breath. “My point is, maybe take him to a bookstore and offer to buy whatever he wants? And then you could do something else afterwards, like take him to your house and hang out and read or something… Or you could get each books that remind you of each other or something?” Bokuto hummed and nodded.

“You know him well.”

“Well, we’ve been hanging out since I was in my first year of college. It’s been a good while since we met. He’s definitely been a friend to me, but… a mentor too, for sure. Anyways, you seem like you’ll probably be good to him. Don’t hurt him, please?”

Bokuto nodded. They fell into silence for the remainder of their time.

Kenma and Hinata made their way out, happy with their purchases. Bokuto left his shift armed with some new ideas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a comment!  
> I'll be taking a break for a few months as school starts up again. Hopefully I'll be able to get a backlog of chapter so I can update more often in the future!
> 
> If you'd like, you can check out my new AkaKen fic, [Breakfast](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26219398).


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